Duplex vacuum cleaner tool



April 30, 1968 o. L; ALLEN ET AL DUPLEX VACUUM CLEANER TOOL 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 29, 1966 INVENTORS OLIVER L. ALLEN JOHN J. KOWALEWSKI WILLIAM F. RITZAU flaw/ ma THEIR ATTORNEY April 30, 1968 o. L. ALLEN ET AL DUPLEX VACUUM CLEANER TOOL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 29. 1966 mm hm mh INVENTO S OLIVER L.ALLENeful BYTZWWAM T H EIR ATTORNEY April 30, 1968 VALLE ET AL 3,380,108

DUPLEX VACUUM CLEANER TOOL v 4 Sheets-Sh t 5 Filed Aug. 29, 1966 86 FIG.4 1

INVENTORS OLIVER L. ALLE N et ul v wgw THEIR ATTORNEY April 30, 1968 o. L. ALLEN ET AL 3,380,108

DUPLEX VACUUM CLEANER TOOL Filed Au 29 195 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 6 I

INVENTORS OLIVER L. ALLEN e1 0| THEIR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,380,108 DUPLEX VACUUM CLEANER TOOL Oliver L. Allen and John J. Kowalewski, Riverside, and

William P. Ritzau, Darien, Conn., assignors to Electrolux Corporation, Old Greenwich, Conn., 'a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 575,789

8 Claims. (Cl. 15--417) This invention relates to a duplex vacuum cleaner tool having a pair of opposed cleaning side used respectively for dilferent purposes, for example for cleaning soft surfaces such as rugs and hard surfaces such as wood floors, the cleaning sides being brought to cleaning position alternately by rotating the cleaner tool. The invention is more particularly concerned with providing means for selectively positioning a control valve within the tool to block off suction air supply to the cleaning side which is not being used, the means being operated automatically upon rotation of the cleaner tool body.

Multi-purpose vacuum cleaner tools as for example a duplex cleaner tool having two cleaning sides either of which may be manipulated to a cleaning position by rotating the cleaning tool about the suction tube with which it is connected are known in the art. The duplex vacuum cleaner tool may be provided with one cleaning side having a brush element for cleaning hard wood floors and linoleum covered surfaces, whereas the other cleaning side may be made smooth faced, adapted it for use for cleaning rugs, carpets and like soft surfaces, with the respective cleaning sides being brought to cleaning position alternately by rotating the tool body one-half revolution. The duplex character of this vacuum cleaner tool requires that it be provided with valve means in the tool body for isolating the cleaning side which is not being used from the suction air supply thereby to maintain maximum suction at the other or working cleaning side. Such valve means may take various forms, as for example it can be a snap action leaf spring valve member or it may be a rotary valve member. In either case the valve means being selectively positionable between two closure positions to block the suction air passage leading to the one or the other of the cleaning sides which is not in cleaning position.

The vacuum cleaner tool of the present invention is characterized by the feature that the proper selective positioning of the valve means therein is controlled by the manipulation of the cleaning tool body automatically upon the rotation of same about the suction tube with which it is connected. Thus, for example, if the brush element cleaning side (hard surface cleaning) is in cleaning position and it becomes necessary to use the tool on a rug, the user picks up the cleaner tool and rotates it to shift or interchange the cleaning side positioning. As the tool body rotates, means therein, which are in engagement with the valve means, become operable to shift automatically the positioning of the valve means from a position closing off the air suction passage leading to the rug cleaning side to a position closing off the air suction passage leading to the floor cleaning side as the latter is moved to a non-cleaning position. The valve positioning means in one form comprises a camming projection fixed to the suction tube and which upon occurrence of relative rotation between the tool body and suction tube engages with an oval ring encircling the suction tube and fixed to an actuating lever means carried in the tool body. The engagement of the camming projection with the oval ring is effective to operate the actuating lever means, which is connected to the valve means, in such manner as to cause a shift of the positioning of the valve means to a position closing the suction passage associated with the side of the cleaner tool moved to a non-cleaning position. The camming projection-oval ring arrangement can be designed so that it is not effective to shift the positioning of the valve means until the tool body is rotated about the suction tube in excess of a predetermined magnitude for example In this manner, a suitable range of relative rotation between the suction tube and tool body in clockwise and counterclockwise direction is possible without effecting the valve positioning, which is desirable when maneuvering the tool body beneath low overhead clearance objects such as sofas, cabinets, and the like.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of representative embodiments of the principles of the invention to be described. The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

Reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a duplex vacuum cleaner tool constructed according to the principles of the present invention, parts of the tool body being broken away to illustrate constructional features thereof.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view as taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1, portions of the ends of the tool body being shown in full.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view as taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1, a portion of the rear housing cover plate being broken away for purposes of clarity.

FIGURES 4 and 5 are sectional views as taken along the line 4-4 and 55 respectively in FIGURE 1, the rug cleaning side of the vacuum cleaner tool being shown in cleaning position.

FIGURE 6 is the same as FIGURE 4 except it shows the vacuum cleaner tool when the cleaning sides have been interchanged by rotation of the tool body to bring the floor cleaning side into cleaning position.

Throughout the description like reference numerals are used to denote like parts in the drawings.

The valve positioning means of the present invention is described by way of example herein as being used in conjunction with a duplex vacuum cleaner tool having a snap action leaf spring type valve element wherein the valve element is selectively positionable between one or the other of two oppositely biased positions closing off, re spectively, the suction passages leading tothe floor-cleaning side and the rug-cleaning side of the cleaner tool. However, it should occur to those skilled in the art that the valve positioning means is suited for use with other types of duplex vacuum cleaner tool valve members as for example, a rotary valve of the type described in US. Patent No. 3,012,268.

Referring now to the vacuum cleaner tool construction shown in the drawings, the vacuum cleaner tool is a duplex type having an elongated tool body 10 which is comprised of interfitting upper and lower body members 12 and 14 respectively, the body members being connected together by suitable fastening means such as the countersunk screws 16. The structural arrangement of the upper and lower body members 12, 14 may be varied to some extent tofacilitate manufacture and assembly but in general should be such when connected together as to provide the tool body 10 with a pair of opposed elongated cleaning sides. Thus one side of the tool body 10 may constitute a floor cleaning side used for cleaning wood floors, tile covered surfaces and the like, and to that end is provided with brush elements 18 extending longitudinally of the tool body and secured thereto in channels 20 formed in the upper body member 12 as best seen in FIGURE 4. The other cleaning side of the tool body may be used for cleaning rugs, carpets and similar soft surfaces and for that reason is provided with a protruding shoulder member 22 extending about the margin of the lower body member 14 with the shoulder being flattened along the rug contacting surface as at 24. The shoulder member can be formed integral with the lower body memher or as in the embodiment illustrated be a separately formed element secured to the body member in known manner.

Each cleaning side of the vacuum cleaner tool has a nozzle or air suction opening which functions in the usual manner. Thus the floor cleaning side has an enlarged laterally extending nozzle opening 26 which as best shown in FIGURE 1 communicates by means of a suction passage 28 formed in the upper body member 12 with a central cavity 30 in the tool body, the latter being defined by complemental recesses formed in the respective body members. Similarly, the lower body member 14 is provided with a nozzle opening 32 which likewise extends longitudinally thereof and communicates with the cen tral cavity 30 by means of a suction passage 34 formed in the lower body member as shown. The suction passages 28, 34 serve to connect the respective suction nozzle openings 26, 32 with a source of suction air depending upon the positioning of a valve member 40 in the tool body in a manner as will appear.

The tool body 10 is provided with a rearwardly directed neck portion 42 which has a large opening at the back thereof for receiving a suction tube 44, the latter being in preferred form, an elbow fitting. The suction tube 44 is adapted to be connected to a wand member 46 or other conduit-handle means and therewith serve to establish suction communication between the tool body 10 and a motor driven vacuum unit (not shown). The upper end of the suction tube 44 may be provided with a collar 48 in which is housed a wand locking ring 50, the latter being of known construction and serving to securely but removably connect the tool to the wand. The horizontal branch 52 of the suction tube 44 extends through a rear housing cover plate 54 and is housed within the tool body as shown, the horizontal branch extending into the tool body a sufiicient distance to communicate with central cavity 30. The connection of the tool body 10 with suction tube 44, shown as comprising a radially extending pin 55 carried by the body and engaging an annular groove 57 formed in the surface of the tube, is such that the tool body is rotatable on the suction tube in a plane perpendicular to the axis of horizontal branch 52.

The valve member 40 used in the tool body is described herein by way of example as being a flat snap-action leaf spring normally maintained in an arcuately biased condition and which is adapted to operate between two selected closure positions within central cavity 30, the leaf spring being supported at its ends in anchorages 31 formed at each side of the central cavity by suitable surfaces shaped in the structure of the upper and lower body members in regions Where the said body members abut. Thus, when the rug cleaning side of the vacuum cleaner tool is in cleaning position, the valve member 40 is positioned in an upwardly arcuately biased condition at one side of the central cavity as shown in full lines in FIGURE 2, and the central body portion thereof closes ofi' suction passage 28, whereas, when the vacuum cleaner tool is rotated 180 around the suction tube 44, the valve member 40 is shifted to an oppositely arcuately biased condition at the other side of the central cavity as shown in long and short dashed lines in FIGURE 2 in which closure position it closes off the suction passage 34 leading to the rug cleaning side which has been moved to a non-cleaning position by the rotational manipulation.

The movement of the valve member 40 between the two closure positions shown in FIGURE 2 is achieved by distorting the leaf spring in a direction opposite to its biased condition. One manner of app-lying the distorting force to the leaf spring is to apply same at one or more locations intermediate the ends thereof, thereby deforming it for example from the solid line closure position of FIGURE 2 into a serpentine configuration and through a dead center position causing it to assume an oppositely biased condition, as for example, the closure position shown in long and short dashed lines in FIGURE 2. The distorting force is app-lied to the leaf spring by the movement of an actuating lever 62, which is located in the tool body 10 at one side of the suction tube 44, as shown in FIGURE 1, with the front end of the lever being engagingly coupled to the leaf spring a distance from one end thereof. The rear section of the actuating lever extends closely adjacent the suction tube as shown and is supported on a suitable pivot 63, carried within the tool body neck portion 42, the latter having a vertical clearance passage as at 70 in which the actuating lever moves when pivoted. A shorter pivot arm 64 is also provided at the other side of the suction tube, being mounted on a pivot 66 in the same way as actuating lever 62 is mounted on pivot 63. The pivots are supported in the tool body in such manner that they are co-axial, with the pivot arm and actuating lever being rotatable in planes parallel to a vertical plane passing through the axis about which the tool body is rotatable. The actuating lever 62 flares d-ivergently outwardly in the direct-ion of the front end of the tool body as shown with the front section thereof being parallel, laterally displaced relatively of the rear sect-ion. In preferred form the actuating lever comprises a fiat strip member which is shaped in the form of a fork, with the tines 74 of the fork girding or embracing the leaf spring adjacent the end thereof as before described. As shown in FIGURE 4, the front end of the actuating lever 62 normally extends upwardly as the leaf spring is biased in an upward direction in a closure position of the valve member 40 wherein a central ortion of the latter extends across the passage 28 leading to the floor cleaning side preventing communication of said passage with central cavity 30. Thus suction air drawn into the tool body 10 enters by way of the nozzle opening 32 associated with the rug cleaning side and draws into the vacuum cleaner (not shown) dirt, dust, and other objects on the rug surface being cleaned. On the other hand, when the tool body 10 is rotated one-half revolution to interchange the cleaning side positionings, as shown in FIGURE 6, an opposite biasing force is applied to the valve member 40 by the actuating lever forming the leaf spring into a serpentine configuration and snapping it through a dead center position causing it to arcuately bow in an opposite sense from the closure position shown in solid lines in FIGURE 2 to the closure position shown in long and short dashed lines. In the latter position, the valve member seats against the seating surfaces 76 at the bottom of the tool body 10 closing off the suction passage 34 leading to the rug cleaning side and automatically placing the floor cleaning side in communication with the central cavity 30. Similar seating surfaces 65 also are provided at the top of the tool body adjacent suction passage 28.

The mode of operating the actuating lever 62, as well as pivot arm 64 to shift the position of the valve member within the tool body will now be described. As shown in 'FIGURE 3 the suction tube 44 is provided at the bottom thereof with a camming projection 78 which either can be formed integrally with the suction tube or be made as part of a separate ring member fixedly mounted on the suction tube. The camming projection 78 has a rounded camming surface 81 thereon which is adapted to engage when the tool body is rotated, with an oval ring 80, encircling the suction tube as best seen in FIGURE 3 and which is fixedly secured at its sides to the rear sections of the actuating lever 62 and pivot arm 64. The oval ring, actuating lever and pivot arm together form a ring and yoke assembly adapted to pivot as a unit in the tool body about the axis of pivot pins 63 and 66 which is normal to the axis about which the tool body rotates on branch 52 of tube 44, the pivoting movement being between two extreme positions corresponding to the respective valve clos- -ure positions. In general the oval ring is an elongated structure having a narrower vertical dimension than horizontal dimension. The oval ring 80 shown in the drawings in a preferred form, is of substantially elliptical shape having curved end segments as at 21- and 24, the end segments being connected by straight contact surface sections as at 25 and 27 with the straight sections closer to the center of the ring than the end segments and being arranged at locations on the ring approximately 180 apart.

Thus when the oval ring 80 is rotated around the suction tube, inasmuch as it follows the tool body movement, the straight sections will engage the camming projection 78 but the ring end segments will not. In rotating the cleaner tool body to alternate the positioning of the cleaning sides, the tool body is rotated in either direction about the suction tube 44 which remains fixed. When the tool body 10 is rotated one-half revolution to interchange the cleaning side positioning from that shown in FIG- URES 4 and 5 to the cleaning side positioning shown in FIGURE 6, Le, to change from a rug-cleaning side to a floor-cleaning side in cleaning position, the camming projection-oval ring arrangement is not efiective to shift the valve member positioning until the tool body is rotated relative to the suction tube in excess of a predetermined magnitude, for instance 120. During the first 10 to of the one-half revolution of the tool body, the camming projection rides on the inner periphery of the straight section 27 without effect. The camming projection thereafter rides clear of the ring surface segment 23 and does not engage the ring again until about 120 of relative rotation has taken place between the suction tube and tool body. At 120 of relative rotation between the tool body and suction tube, the camming projection 78 will engage the inner periphery of the oval ring at the right end of straight section 25 and cams or displaces the eccentric ring yoke assembly in the direction of the floor cleaning side with consequent pivoting of the actuating lever 62 from the position shown in FIGURE 4 to the position shown in FIGURE 6. The camming projection remains in contact with the eccentric ring straight section 25 during the remaining 60 of relative tool body-suction tube rotation.

The described pivoting movement of actuating lever 62 applies a distorting force to the leaf spring causing it to undergo the serpentine transition previously described and move through its dead center position and assume an opposite arcuately biased condition. Upon completion at the left side of the axis about which the body rotates so that when in the further course of cleaning, the tool body is to be once again manipulated to interchange the cleaning side positionings (return rug cleaner side to cleaning position as shown in FIGURE 4), the tool body will be caused to rotate counterclockwise under the force exerted by the weight when the user lifts the tool body from the floor. As previously mentioned, it is immaterial in which direction the nozzle body is turned relative to the tube 44, and hence the weight 84 could be placed at either end. Valve positioning of the valve member 40 when returning the tool to a rug cleaning side in cleaning position is effected in the same manner as previously described.

It will be noted that about 120 of rotation of the nozzle body is required to initiate shifting of valve 40. Hence, it is possible to rotate tube 44 in either direction for lowering wand 46 to a position parallel to the floor in order to manipulate the nozzle under low furniture, without shifting the valve, and consequently full airflow is maintained through the nozzle which is in active position on the floor.

Various other changes and different embodiments of the valve mechanism of the present invention can be made of the 180 rotation of the cleaning tool body 10, which brings the floor-cleaning side into cleaning position as shown in FIGURE 6, the valve member 40 seats against seating surface 76 and is positioned in a closure position closing off the suction passage 34 leading to the rug cleaning side, while on the other hand, the suction passage 28 leading to the floor-cleaning side is placed in communication with central cavity 30,

It is preferable to incorporate in the tool body 10 a weight 84 to facilitate initiation of rotational movement of the tool body when interchanging cleaning sides, the weight being located as shown in FIGURE 2 to one side of the axis about which the tool body 10 rotates. Thus when the user wants to shift cleaning sides from the rugcleaning side in cleaning position, the tool body 10 is caused automatically to rotate clockwise (when looking from the rear to the front of the tool) as soon as the user raises up the wand 46 to lift the tool body from the floor. The user may thereafter complete the interchange manipulation by lowering the tool body to the floor when in approximately vertical position and simultaneously applying a slight rightwardly directed force with the wand 46 to swing the tool body through the remaining portion of the required one-half revolution. As a result of the latter manipulation, the weight 84 is moved to a location within the principles described and indicated in the fore going, and it is intended that all matter set out therein or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a duplex vacuum cleaner tool which includes a suction tube, a body rotatably connected to said suction tube and having a pair of opposed cleaning sides which are brought to a cleaning position alternately by rotating said body one-half revolution on said suction tube, said body having suction passages extending inwardly therein from each of said cleaning sides and terminating at a central cavity within the body, said central cavity communicating with said suction tube, and a valve member supported in said body and normally positioned therein in a closure position closing off the body suction passage associated with the cleaning side which is in a non-cleaning position thereby to block communication of said one body passage with said central cavity, valve positioning means comprising an actuating member operatively coupled with said valve member and supported in said body for movement between two extreme positions corresponding to the closure positions of said valve member, a projection fixed to said suction tube, and a ring fixed to said actuating member and encircling said suction tube, said ring having projection engaging surfaces at opposed locations thereon, each projection engaging surface being associated with and effective to move said actuating member to one of its extreme positions, relative rotation between said body and suction tube in excess of a predetermined magnitude when alternating the poitioning of said cleaning sides being effective to advance the other projection engaging surface into engagement with said projection and thereby move said actuating member to its other extreme position shifting the positioning of said valve member to the corresponding closure position.

2. The duplex vacuum cleaner tool set forth in claim 1 wherein said actuating member is a lever Supported in said body for pivoting movement between said extreme positions, said lever being pivoted intermediate its ends, one end of the lever being coupled with said valve member, the other end of said lever being fixed to said ring.

3. The duplex vacuum cleaner tool set forth in claim 2 wherein said lever extends at one side of said suction tube and is connected to one end of said ring, the tool further comprising a pivot arm supported for pivoting movement in the body at the other side of said suction tube and connected to the other end of said ring.

4. The duplex vacuum cleaner tool set forth in claim 2 wherein the valve member comprises a snap action leaf spring normally biased to a closure position extending across said body suction passage associated with the cleaning side which is in non-cleaning position, said lever engaging said leaf spring to bias it to an opposite position upon pivoting of said lever.

5. The duplex vacuum cleaner tool set forth in claim 1 wherein said projection engaging surfaces are arranged at diametrically opposite locations on said ring.

6. The duplex vacuum cleaner tool set forth in claim 1 wherein said ring is a longitudinally elongated structure, the projection engaging surfaces being located at the transverse sides of said structure, and closer to the center of said structure than the remaining surfaces thereof.

7. The duplex vacuum cleaner tool set forth in claim wherein the predetermined magnitude in excess of which relative rotation between said body and suction tube is 8 etfective to shift the valve member position is approximately 120.

8. The duplex vacuum cleaner tool set forth in claim 1 wherein the projection engaging surfaces of said ring are on parallel straight sections arranged at opposite sides thereof, said ring having curved end segments extending between said straight sections, each of said straight sections being closer to the center of said ring than said end segments.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,500,977 3/1950 Beede 15-373 2,838,783 6/1958 Allen 15-417 ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A DUPLEX VACUUM CLEANER TOOL WHICH INCLUDES A SUCTION TUBE, A BODY ROTATABLY CONNECTED TO SAID SUCTION TUBE AND HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSED CLEANING SIDES WHICH ARE BROUGHT TO A CLEANING POSITION ALTERNATELY BY ROTATING SAID BODY ONE-HALF REVOLUTION ON SAID SUCTION TUBE, SAID BODY HAVING SUCTION PASSAGES EXTENDING INWARDLY THEREIN FROM EACH OF SAID CLEANING SIDES AND TERMINATING AT A CENTRAL CAVITY WITHIN THE BODY, SAID CENTRAL CAVITY COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SUCTION TUBE, AND A VALVE MEMBER SUPPORTED IN SAID BODY AND NORMALLY POSITIONED THEREIN IN A CLOSURE POSITION CLOSING OFF THE BODY SUCTION PASSAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CLEANING SIDE WHICH IS IN A NON-CLEANING POSITION THEREBY TO BLOCK COMMUNICATION OF SAID ONE BODY PASSAGE WITH SAID CENTRAL CAVITY, VALVE POSITIONING MEANS COMPRISING AN ACTUATING MEMBER OPERATIVELY COUPLED WITH SAID VALVE MEMBER AND SUPPORTED IN SAID BODY FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN TWO EXTREME POSITIONS CORRESPONDING TO THE CLOSURE POSITIONS OF SAID VALVE MEMBER, A PROJECTION FIXED TO SAID SUCTION TUBE, AND A RING FIXED TO SAID ACTUATING MEMBER AND ENCIRCLING SAID SUCTION TUBE, SAID RING HAVING PROJECTION ENGAGING SURFACES AT OPPOSED LOCATIONS THEREON, EACH PROJECTION ENGAGING SURFACE BEING ASSOCIATED WITH AND EFFECTIVE TO MOVE SAID ACTUATING MEMBER TO ONE OF ITS EXTREME POSITIONS, RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN SAID BODY AND SUCTION TUBE IN EXCESS OF A PREDETERMINED MAGNITUDE WHEN ALTERNATING THE POSITIONING OF SAID CLEANING SIDES BEING EFFECTIVE TO ADVANCE THE OTHER PROJECTION ENGAGING SURFACE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PROJECTION AND THEREBY MOVE SAID ACTUATING MEMBER TO ITS OTHER EXTREME POSITION SHIFTING THE POSITIONING OF SAID VALVE MEMBER TO THE CORRESPONDING CLOSURE POSITION. 